Got this press release yesterday, and I know that some of you might be interested.:-)

Patrick--------------------

Toronto – January 8, 2007

To celebrate the launch of Ysabel, Guy Gavriel Kay’s much anticipated new novel, Penguin Group (Canada) announced today that the first book off the press, autographed by the author, will be auctioned on Ebay.com. Signed and verified by the publisher, this first copy includes a product identification slip and letter from the printing press identifying the book as the first copy printed in Canada.

Ysabel will go on-sale in Canada on January 10, in the US on February 6, and in the UK on March 5. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to Indigo Books & Music, Inc.’s Love of Reading Fund. The fund directly supports high-needs elementary school literacy programs across Canada. “This is another great way to ensure the future of our country by enriching the grown-ups of tomorrow.” said Sorya Ingrid Gaulin, Vice President, Public Relations and Corporate Giving for Indigo. The auction starts on Monday, January 8, running for ten days (until Wednesday, January 17) and is accessible at http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290069862340.

In December, Penguin Group (Canada) launched http://www.ysabel.ca/, a website dedicated entirely to Kay’s new novel, and featuring an array of stunning photography as well as teaser excerpts, book synopsis, Canadian tour information, author interviews, a blog, and a feature page of Kay’s bestselling past works. With a nod to his massive online fanbase, the site also invites readers to submit Ysabel-inspired art and other multimedia.

Guy Gavriel Kay is the author of nine previous novels and an acclaimed collection of poetry, Beyond This Dark House. His work has been translated into twenty-two languages and has sold over two million copies worldwide. Kay has twice won the Aurora Award, is a three-time World Fantasy Award nominee, and is the recipient of the International Goliardos Award for his contributions to the literature of the fantastic. He is currently writing the screenplay for the second of his novels in development for film. Last Light of the Sun has been optioned by Chartoff Productions and Ravinett Productions.

Ysabel is an exhilarating, moving work in which Kay casts brilliant light on the ways in which history – whether of a culture or a family – refuses to be buried. Ned Marriner, fifteen years old, has accompanied his photographer father to Provence for a six-week “shoot” of images for a glossy coffee-table book. On one holy, haunted night of the ancient year, when the borders between the living and the dead are down and fires are lit upon the hills, Ned, his family, and his friends, are shockingly drawn into this tale, as dangerous, mythic figures from conflicts of long ago erupt into the present, claiming and changing lives.